1st gen 4runner, and my seat belt is lazy. Wont retract back into the wall. Can a guy replace just the mechanism inside the wall, or do you need to replace that and the belt, clip, etc. ??

 

Same problem here, I'd like to know too.

 

bump... me too

 

unless you can find someone who makes the parts for it, you have to replace the whole assembly. Btw, its crimp assembled, so really its just more hassle than its worth. Not to mention the design of early retractors wasn't much to shout about. I haven't come across a truck or 4Runner yet that works properly.

Best bet is buy a brand new one from the dealer, if they are available.

btw all 3 of my 4Runners experience the same issue.

 

I saw a thread that stated if you pull the belt all the out and remove the pin, you can pull the belt out of the winder. Once you have it out you can rewind the spring to create more tension and then replace the belt and reinstall. However, I found that when I wound the spring there must be a tension release inside which would not allow me to keep it tight. Luckily I just did the passenger side because it is worse than before and my girlfriend still closes it in the door. I was thinking of going the wrecker and getting a GM piece to replace it. All of my Chevs had great retractors, and with the 2nd Gen 4Runner you don't have to worry about any electrical hookups. (I need to fix this because it drives me absolutely insane having to spool the belt every time I get out of the truck!) Good Luck

 

wow, so late at night and all these replies, thanks fellas.

Is it safe to assume that replacement retractors from chevy or whatever other manuf. will bolt up in the wall? Are they all made by the same parts supplier? Yota retractors dont seem to be very springy, is what Im hearing?

 

mine is the same, I have just made a habbit of reaching behind me as I remove my faceplate on my deck and pulling on the side of the belt to feed it into the thingy... if that made any sence at all...

 

this is exactly what I do. lol.

 

I tried to put a few more turns on the retractor spring like someone above mentioned. Mine is worse now also. I have also ready that taking the belt off and washing it will help. It gets dirty and then stiffens up.

I checked with my dealer here they wanted 140 bucks for a replacment.

So far I am just living without the seat belts. Not the best answer but certanly the cheapest.

 

yep, because life just isnt worth $140

 

lol well I am accepting donantions????????

 

Im going to a few local junkyards to see what I can find. There has to be a simpler and cheaper solution than a brand new replacement. The love of an older vehicle isnt about paying for brand new parts, otherwise why bother? Rain and all, Im going out. Be back with an update.

 

$140 = racing harnesses!

 

Schroth 4point.... street legal, and safer - acts as a "airbag" due to the 4 points....

 

Before you go out and buy stuff I came across a site...maybe 4crawler let me check my bookmarks and I'll get back. It was a step by step for lazy toyota belts that fix it for nothing....doesn't seem difficult at all but hold on...alright here it is...http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/minutemods/seatbelt/
Simple enough...have yet to try it, hope that helps.

 

nice i am going to try it to

 

I did that seatbelt minute mod as listed on 4x4 Wire on my 88 P/U. At first, it didn't seem like it did anything. After about a week of use, the retractor decided to start working like it is supposed to. Strange, but I'm not complaining. I also washed the belt so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

Did both and it does seem to work. I also ended up getting a used retractor for my driver's side belt and that one had a lot more extra on the spring tension. I wanted to replace the belt as on the old one, the retaining clip for the belt catch had broken off and I was always losing it if it slid down too far. But cleaning the belt is a big help, I pulled mine out on the porch and used upholstery cleaner and a brush to scrub it clean. Let dry and spray with some silicone spray and it'll work a lot better.

 

Have you asked Toyota/a dealer about this? The reason I ask is that the driver's side retractor in my wife's '91 Honda went bad, and the local Honda dealer replaced it for NO CHARGE. They said it's a lifetime item. Maybe Toyota does this, too?

 

I wouldn't mess with the retractors...If you let go at the wrong time it completely unwinds and the spring likes to self destruct. I've gotten into the habit of just feeding the belt into the retractor when I get out.

If it really bothers you then just get another from Toyota. It's not cheap though.